This invention relates generally to a window regulator device for a vehicle opening frame and a method of assembling the window regulator device.
A window regulator is a device used in a motor vehicle opening frame equipped with a window to transmit a driving force exerted by a user or a motor to the window.
Vehicle door window regulators are described, for example, in documents FR-A-2 761 104, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,141,910, 5,960,588 or 6,115,966. A window regulator generally includes a motor or a crank that drives a drum by a gear system. The drum drives a cable that acts on a slider secured to the window along at least one rail.
The gear system and the drum are generally arranged in a housing for ease of handling and to protect the window regulator. The housing containing the drum and the gear system can also include the motor and an electronic unit, or can include apertures for modular assembly with such components. A housing of this kind is described, for example, in documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,141,910 or FR-A-2 857 908.
When the window regulator is assembled, the rail or rails, the drive cable, the drum, the actuation motor or the crank, and if applicable the electronic unit, must be securely fixed in a door of a vehicle. All or some of the components of the window regulator can be pre-assembled on a carrier plate. For example, document FR-A-2 857 908 describes a carrier plate that brings together the drum on one side and the motor and the electronic unit on the other side. The carrier plate is then inserted in the door of the motor vehicle. Document U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,588 also describes a carrier plate that brings the drum and the motor together on the same side. The carrier plate is then fixed on an interior panel of the door. The carrier plate simplifies the final assembly of the window regulator in the door, but is bulky and relatively costly.
The window regulator can also be fixed on a panel that is then set into a structure of the door. The panel can be denoted by the term “door module,” and in addition to the window regulator components, can carry other door accessories, such as, for example, a loudspeaker or a lock. The panel of the door module must have good rigidity, in particular due to the tension of the cables, but especially when the window regulator is manually driven by the crank. The stresses applied to the crank, in particular at a limit stop, can be considerable and are passed on to the panel (with the risk of its deformation if it is too flexible), whether the panel is metal or plastic.
Alternatively, the drum housing, with or without the crank or the actuation motor and the electronic unit, can be fixed in the door after insertion of the rails and the drive cable. Each component is then fixed separately in the door, and the cable tension is then adjusted to drive the window accurately. Separate fixing of each component of the window regulator provides flexibility and adaptation to different layouts and door shapes, but complicates the final assembly of the window regulator in the door.
There is therefore a need for a simplified and low cost window regulator device that allows for good rigidity without making the panel too heavy if the window regulator is assembled on a door module panel.
Furthermore, in operation, when the window regulator is incorporated into a vehicle door, it can be necessary to change or repair the actuation motor and/or the electronic unit. When the actuation motor is removed, it is preferable for the drum to be kept in place and for the drive cable tension not to be released. If the cable tension is released, the cable can escape from its guide points, and the position of the window slider or sliders can become un-adjusted, making reassembly very complex. It is then necessary to readjust the settings for all the components of the window regulator.
There is also therefore a need for a window regulator device that allows for the removal of the actuation motor and the electronic unit without requiring the removal of the other components of the window regulator, particularly by maintaining the drum and the drive cable in position.